Independence Creek National Recreation Trail

Independence Creek National Recreation Trail is a 13.4 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Murray, ID that features a river and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible from June until September. Dogs and horses are also able to use this trail.

13.4 miles1784 feetOut & Back

dog friendly

kid friendly

birding

camping

canoeing

fishing

fly fishing

hiking

mountain biking

nature trips

trail running

walking

horseback riding

forest

river

views

wild flowers

wildlife

bugs

An easy 13-mile trail through gorgeous North Idaho scenery. For 10 miles, the trail follows and crisscrosses Independence Creek then takes a side trip onto a ridge. Great for hikers or adventurous mountain bikers.

Great trail created by dirt bikers but used by hikers so watch out they think they own it. Have seen bear and other wildlife. Not very challenging but a beautifully fun trial with many water crossings. Best ridding is in the fall when water levels are low. Good to bring a fly rod and fish also. We'll maintained by Idaho dirt riders. Let's keep this open to all! Even us "poachers".

I've hiked almost all of this trail at one time or the other, however my last hike I entered via the Tepee Creek Trailhead. First half mile is a mild climb and then trail levels out and follows creek. Very easy. However, one tip.. bring water shoes or something to wade the creek in. There is a stretch of the creek where you cross it every 100 yards or so. Also, beavers have built some dams and have flooded portions of the trail. Water can be waist deep. Also occasional motorcycler. Last hike was a very enjoyable experience.

Hiked this with a bunch of friends. The trail is well maintained besides the occasional rut left over from trail poachers on dirt bikes. The bugs got a little nasty but they were only bad for those who went without bug repellent. Lots of places to stop and camp (Snowbird Meadows). We started at the west end and thru hiked to Devil Peak Trail #56 at N 47 54.289 W 116 13.962. We continued on Devil Peak Trail to eventually connect via dirt road to the Coeur d'Alene River NRT and thru hiked it too. Lots of water crossings but all were pretty easy. It was nice having water close by most of the time so when our water supply went low we were able to stop and filter more. The best thing about this trail is that there are some nice branch trails to be explored like East Declaration Trail #416 at N 47 54.271 W 116 19.956 and Ermine Creek Trail at N 47 55.178 W 116 16.932 which goes by Elkhorn Spring. If you're a peak bagger you'll like that East Declaration trail and Ermine Ridge trail can be linked as a loop back to ICNRT at Facet Peak.

Some friends and I hiked for three days on this trail. We set an easy pace, no more than 6 miles per day and we went back to our car rather than going out the other side. The trail was well-maintained with some gorgeous views. Since it was often near the creek, the bugs got pretty bad in places. Be prepared for a LOT of water crossings, none more than mid-calf deep. We did encounter some illegal motorbikers who tore the trail up in places but that was the only drawback.